The latest on the Patriots’ quarterback carousel
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 10: Bailey Zappe #4 of the New England Patriots watches offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien of the New England Patriots talks to Mac Jones #10 of the New England Patriots during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on September 10, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
When it comes to the New England Patriots’ quarterback situation, everything appears to be the table for Bill Belichick in what’s a dire, must-win Week 6 showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Now, the Patriots have already said that the embattled Mac Jones will remain under center for this game. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the guy for all four quarters, and it may not take until the game is well out of reach for the Patriots, according to the latest update from NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
“For the New England Patriots, Mac Jones will once again start at quarterback, but my understanding is he is going to have a short leash today,” Rapoport said Sunday. “In fact, a couple of rough series and the Patriots may make a change.
“It’s been the worst two-game stretch of Jones’ young career. He did not finish either game. Patience is wearing thin.”
If Jones is pulled for the third week in a row, the natural belief would be that Bailey Zappe would step into the game and become New England’s de facto starting quarterback. But in a bit of a surprise, Rapoport pushed back on that notion.
Rapoport cited the work of third-string quarterback Will Grier, and noted that Grier is ‘pushing to learn the offense’ for the Patriots. The Patriots signed Grier off the Bengals’ practice squad back on Sept. 22.
And in another surprising update, at least based on how things looked entering the weekend, Rapoport noted have a ‘package of plays’ for the freshly-signed Malik Cunningham and that the expectation is that the Pats use them.
The 25-year-old Jones is coming off the two worst performances of his career, with a for 150 yards with three turnovers against the Cowboys back on Oct. 1, and a (somehow) even worse 12-for-22 for 110 yards and another three turnovers in last week’s blowout loss to the Saints.
Time to have fun? Patriots vs. Raiders What To Watch For
The New England Patriots have gotten blown out in back-to-back games. Looking for a spark, what is the team going to turn to?
There have been two phrases heard often at Gillette Stadium this week since the team’s 34-0 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints last week – ‘starting over’ and ‘having fun.’
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‘Starting over’ started last Sunday, when Bill Belichick used that phrase multiple times during his postgame press conference. As the week has gone on, it’s become clear that ‘starting over’ is about getting back to the basics.
“Fundamentals, things that will help us play better,” Belichick said on Wednesday, when asked what the process of ‘starting over’ focused on this week.
Quarterback Mac Jones struck a similar tone. “The fundamentals are really important to me,” he replied when asked what ‘starting over’ means to him. “The footwork, I know we’ve talked a lot about. Footwork, where are my eyes? All that stuff.”
As for having fun? That seems to be a message preached by the coaching staff this week, based on the way players brought it up unprompted.
“Having fun – that’s what I think of, when I’m at my best I’m having fun, enjoying everybody,” Jones included in his answer about focuses of ‘starting over.’ “We’re out there playing a game that we love. Right now, it’s not looking too good, but we’ve got to flip the switch, right? And start over and figure out ways to go out there and have fun, sling the ball around and guys go make plays and then celebrate with each other, too. We work so hard. It’s been such a theme that we haven’t really scored a lot of points but when we do, we’ve got to go out there and celebrate and enjoy it.”
Center and team captain David Andrews echoed that sentiment. “I think if you want to get the best out of it you’ve got to be demanding – celebrate little victories, I think that’s an important thing too,” Andrews said on Wednesday. “When we do something right, like a good block – these dudes are getting paid and they’re really good players. You can be excited about it.”
“There’s an old adage, ‘it’s never as good as it seems, it’s never as bad as it seems,'” Andrews continued. “So when you go in and watch the film – there was a lot of bad, and there’s not a lot of good enough when you’re not scoring any points, but you’ve got to take the good and try to build on it.”
The same is true on the defensive side of the ball. Asked about ‘having fun’ on Thursday, defensive lineman Lawrence Guy relayed it’s not a new message, but one that has come into focus this week.
“Now it’s being said because everyone is looking at it like, ‘you guys must be upset’ or like, doubting yourselves.’ No, we’re still going out there to have fun,” he explained. “I’m out here to have fun. We’re blessed to play this game. We used to call it a kids game with a little bit more violence – big kids game at this level. But we’re blessed to be able to go out here and play this game. So take that opportunity that – there’s so many people out there who want that opportunity.”
It’s clear what the Patriots’ mentality is as they try to bounce back this week against the Las Vegas Raiders. But how about strategically? Let’s get into it with this week’s What To Watch For…
Ty Anderson is 98.5 The Sports Hub’s friendly neighborhood straight-edge kid. Ty has been covering the Bruins (and other Boston teams) since 2010, has been a member of the PHWA since 2013, and went left to right across your radio dial and joined The Sports Hub in 2018. Ty also writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to the Boston Celtics and Boston Red Sox.